Philly medical personnel brace for crowds converging for papal mass

When Pope Francis holds an outdoor public mass in Philadelphia on Sunday, with an expected 1.5 million people from more than 100 countries in attendance, area hospitals will be at a heightened state of alert.

“This could be the largest special event ever held in the U.S.,”said Mark Ross, regional manager of emergency preparedness for the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania.

Ahead of the papal visit, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health issued a health advisory stating that area providers “should be prepared for a variety of infectious diseases and a potential surge of patients.” The advisory listed typhoid and yellow fever, malaria, polio, and tuberculosis as diseases of particular concern. The website also listed resources for screening, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as instructions on patient isolation and staff safety.

“Some diseases that are common in other parts of the world aren’t regularly seen in the U.S.,” Ross said. “Our providers know about them but haven’t seen them. We’ve made sure our providers know what they look like.”

Infectious diseases aren’t the only medical concern for those caring for ailing visitors.

“You have the elderly and injured seeking his blessing,” said Pete Sananman, chair of the Papal Task Force for Penn Medicine’s three emergency departments. “Children with complicated medical problems.”

While the pope reaches out to those with illnesses and medical conditions, medical personnel in the area will be doing their own reaching out. Dentists, dialysis clinics, and medical supply companies are a few of the resources the city has on standby. The area’s Emergency Medical Services division will operate four 50-bed medical stations and six 25-bed first-aid stations staffed by more than 2,000 physicians, nurses, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians, many of whom are out-of-town volunteers.

And if 75 additional medical sites aren’t enough, Jefferson University Hospital released a new smartphone app, JeffConnect, that allows anyone outside the papal zone to video chat with an emergency-room physician for $49.

While preparing for the worst, emergency planners believe most of the patients needing medical care will be suffering from dehydration, chest pains, minor cuts, scrapes, and burns.

Travel and security concerns during the papal visit also have local patients worried. When the city announced plans to close 25 miles of streets and highways, patients awaiting organ transplants cited fear traffic delays could cost them a new lung or kidney. Pregnant women called the mayor with concerns about getting to the delivery room.

The Pennsylvania hospital association website notes the area’s more than 50 hospitals will continue to operate, coordinate, and communicate, so services should not be impacted. Elective procedures at most of the facilities have been rescheduled to free up additional resources. Regional hospitals frequently prepare for large events or weather-related emergencies in a similar fashion, Ross said.

“We have enough staff and equipment to get through the event,” he said. “We will be sleeping staff in our facilities.”

To that end, the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania requisitioned more than 3,000 cots from an emergency stash. Jefferson Hospital encouraged workers to bring their own sleeping bags. Both Penn and Jefferson have ordered portable shower trailers for staff. Most hospitals plan to offer additional compensation to employees, such as free food, movies, and video games while they’re stuck at work.

“There’s something wonderful about everybody just having a good time,” said John Lasky, chief human resources officer at Temple University Hospital.

Herbert Cushing, Temple’s chief medical officer agrees—sort of.

“The most popular person will be the one coordinating our games and movies for the people stuck here,” he said. “I tell people, think of it like a submarine, and you’re stuck in it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.